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Farley Mowat: a timeline of his life

Born in Belleville, Farley Mowat lived in many parts of Canada, but none had a greater impact upon him, and vice versa, than the North.

Farley Mowat gained a passion for nature and wildlife early in his life. This photo was taken in 1972. (Philip Teasdale / Star File Photo)

By Astrid LangeTORONTO STAR LIBRARY

Wed., May 7, 2014

May 12, 1921: Farley McGill Mowat is born in Belleville, Ont.

1928: Mowat’s father moves the family to Saskatoon, Sask., where the young Farley continues an interest in wildlife that had begun in Ontario under the influence of his great-uncle Frank. His acclaimed books The Dog Who Wouldn’t Be (1957) and Owls in the Family (1962) reflect this life-long interest.

1942: With the Second World War underway, Mowat enters officer training (he had been rejected by the Air Force because he was too short) and is later sent overseas to England.

1943: Mowat’s regiment takes part in the invasion of Sicily. In the midst of combat in Italy, Mowat turns to writing, beginning to write The Dog Who Wouldn’t Be. His war experiences provided material for two of his later books: The Regiment (1954) and And No Birds Sang (1979).

1946: Discharged from the army, Mowat enrols at the University of Toronto to qualify for the veterans’ educational benefit. He graduates with a B.A. in 1949.

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1947: Marries Frances Thornhill. They raise two sons Robert Alexander (Sandy) and David Peter until their divorce in 1960.

(REUTERS FILE PHOTO)

Summer 1947: Eager to get back to nature, Mowat takes a job as a government biologist in the Northwest Territories. His assignment is to gauge the extent to which wolves were responsible for the disappearing caribou population of the North. During his time in the North, he discovers that trappers, not wolves, were largely responsible for the decimation of the caribou herds.

1952: Mowat’s first book, People of the Deer, is published. The book focuses on the Ihalmiut, a small population of Inuit who had befriended Mowat while he was living in the north. The book is a huge success, but also controversial. The Minister of Northern Affairs and National Resources at the time, Jean Lesage, accuses Mowat of fabricating the existence of an Ihalmiut tribe.

1956: Mowat publishes his first story for children, Lost in the Barrens.

1959: Continues to defend the native people of Canada’s north and their environment with the publication of The Desperate People.

1961: Travels to England to research the voyages of the Vikings in the North Atlantic and their settlements in the New World. Westviking is published in 1965 and the children’s book The Curse of the Viking Grave in 1966.

1963:Never Cry Wolf, detailing his discoveries while observing wolves in 1947, becomes an international bestseller.

1965: Marries graphic designer Claire Wheeler.

1966: Travels to Siberia with wife Claire to spend royalties earned from the Russian translations of his books. Falls in love with Russian people and publishes The Siberians in 1970.

1967: While living in Burgeo, N.L., Mowat is saddened by townspeople who use bullets and speedboats to torment a whale trapped in a pond. He leaves the province soon after and publishes A Whale for the Killing in 1972.

1985: While on a promotional tour for Sea of Slaughter, Mowat is barred from travelling to the U.S. under the McCarran-Walter Act, which denies entry to anarchists, communists or anyone deemed “prejudicial to the public interest.” He is later granted permission to visit for one month.

1996: Saturday Night magazine publishes a cover article by former Toronto Star reporter John Goddard criticizing the author for stretching the facts in People of the Deer and Never Cry Wolf. Most notably, Goddard charges that Mowat had spent less time in the Arctic than he claimed. Mowat’s supporters argue that while the author may have exaggerated the truth, he also did more to raise crucial awareness about the north than any other Canadian.

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